Alyssa was absolutely incredible and truly made my proposal dreams come to life! I reached out to Alyssa with a couple ideas and she really took ownership of everything. I planned to propose in a place I've never seen and I'm not particularly close to. Alyssa worked with the hotel to make sure everything was perfect for us without much effort from me. She gave me clear instructions to make the moment and photos magical. Alyssa went above and beyond twice over! We got 100+ beautiful photos (plus black and white versions) over a 30 minute session, edited and sent to us within a week. Highly highly recommend!! read more

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We had such a wonderful experience working with Alyssa/ Owner of Alyssa Staats Photography during our mini session. I'm a mom of three, and let's just say my kids were not exactly cooperative the day of our session. But somehow, Alyssa managed to capture the most beautiful, natural photos and they look incredible. We've used this location for the past four years, but this year we worked with her, and even in the same setting- the photos came out fresh, unique, and absolutely. She was calm, patient, and incredibly creative. She found ways to bring out the best in all of us, even when I thought it wasn't possible. The end results completely exceeded my expectations. I can't recommend Alyssa highly enough. If you're looking for someone who is both talented and easy to work with, she's the one! Megan Q. Michigan City/July 2025 Session read more

Our family was in Michigan City for a few days and Alyssa captured some AMAZING family photos. I have two young girls and the 18 month old was not having it. Alyssa found unique ways to get photos with our girls smiling and laughing. She kept the half hour session moving and provided direction quickly so that we could capture everything we wanted without running out of good moods with the kids. No idea how we are going to pick what photos to hang in our house. read more

Extremely helpful, nice, and knowledgeable! Very happy to have worked with Alyssa. Definitely one of the premier photographers in the area if you're looking for some high quality photos. read more

We had an excellent experience with Alyssa! My family was vacationing in Michigan City, and Alyssa was the perfect person to work with for our group of 8 adults and 7 young children. She was prepared, on time, and GREAT with moving things along and keeping the kiddos smiling the whole time. Alyssa was willing to come early so we could catch the kids before naptimes/meltdowns, and the whole process was 30 minutes...but the result looks like it was hours in the making. Cannot recommend her enough, especially for larger families who might be traveling and in need of someone to help capture the memories! read more

I am not sure I can say enough positive feedback about Alyssa. She is exceptionally talented at her craft and an absolute joy to work with. She is kind, flexible, and accommodating. She is able to capture the most salient moment and tells an authentic story with the photos she captures. Her eye for nature and color is exceptional. She flew across the country to photograph my wedding and I would fly across the country to her to have her photograph every life milestone I hit, she is that worth it. My parents, in laws, and bridal party (all with varied opinions on everything) all loved her. Other vendors loved working with her. You will not regret choosing her as your wedding/anything photographer. read more

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Alyssa, owner of Candid Clicker, is a fantastic photographer who captured the essence of our wedding with her lens. She has a great eye and documents all the details that the bride and groom might not register through the hustle and bustle of the big day. A quick scroll through her Instagram quickly proves her talent to capture the emotion in each shot. She is very knowledgeable about spots around Chicago, NW Indiana, and SW Michigan so she has great suggestions for where to take photos. During the shoot, she put everyone at ease with her easy going yet professional demeanor, and her friendly personality. I first met Alyssa when I was a bridesmaid for one of my close friend's wedding and she was the photographer. We had such a wonderful experience with her, and even though it was thunderstorming off and on during pictures the photos turned out outstanding. I wasn't even dating anyone but I knew that I would want her as my photographer when the time came for me to get married. Flash forward a few years later and she was the first vendor I booked. Alyssa offers both packaged and a la carte pricing, both of which are very reasonable. We opted for one of her standard options, which includes a free engagement photo session. As a side note, I really recommend taking advantage of this offer because not only do you have photos of this special time in your life, you also get comfortable taking staged photos with your SO and it helps a lot to have practice on wedding day. Alyssa is quick to respond and easy to work with. Whether you have the whole day planned or you need more than a little guidance, she goes with your flow. The day of the wedding, Alyssa and her second shooter were on time and ready to go. She came to the room just as we were finishing getting ready to get the shots right before I put on my dress. Then it was a well-controlled whirlwind of photos, from the first look through the portraits. We talked about everything ahead of time, including a portrait list, so we were able to get through these without any lag or confusion. Through the ceremony and reception, I hardly noticed the cameras while they were discretely shooting away. At the end of the night, Alyssa gave me the heads up that they were finishing and we got a couple of final portraits before they headed out. A couple of days post-wedding, Alyssa posts a sneak peek on her Facebook page so we immediately had some beautiful images to share with family and friends. Then, she retouches every photo before sending out links to the finished product. She sent us nearly a thousand photos from our wedding and we relived the spectacular day frame by frame. read more

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We cannot recommend Alyssa enough! Alyssa photographed both our engagement session and more recently our wedding. The pictures are absolutely stunning!! We have received so many compliments on them and are so happy to have these beautiful pictures to remember one of the best days of our lives. The day of the wedding she was on top of it capturing shots of all the details, our couple and family shots, and even making sure to pull us aside for a few sunset pics. She did such an amazing job capturing all of our special moments and we will really cherish these pictures for the years to come. Thanks so much Alyssa! read more

HIGHLY recommend! I proposed to my now fiancé back in October 2020 in Lincoln Park, and my plans could not have gone as well as they did without Alyssa's help. Not only is she an incredible photographer, but she also helped me prepare before and during - via phone calls and texts - the proposal. She knows the Chicago area very well and knows all the good spots to plan a perfect proposal. Overall, easily a 10/10. The pictures are awesome - Tay (my fiancé) is thrilled with them and has them all over our apartment - and we're probably going to try to get on Alyssa's calendar for shooting our wedding. If you're in the Chicago area, using Alyssa is a very good move - especially for all the guys out there like me that need all the help they can get. Thank you! read more

I absolutely loved every second of working with Alyssa for our engagement shoot. She made us feel so comfortable from the start (almost like I've known her for years). She captured hundreds of pictures in only an hour with such a variety. I definitely will be using Alyssa in the future for more because these pictures stunned me. read more

Alyssa Staats Photography - Event Photography Near Me

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I'd gotten headshots done a couple months ago from Alyssa....and was incredibly nervous before actually being in front of her camera and having her know the perfect way to calm my nerves while capturing some of the most breath taking photographs of me than I thought possible. On auditions, I always get complimented for the pictures I bring with. Sadly, I cannot take the credit, but she definitely can! I love her work, and am looking forward to updating my photos. read more

On Friday, May 2nd, Alyssa of Candid Clicker took newborn pictures of our baby boy. The whole idea of newborn pictures both excited me and stressed me out - what if he didn't cooperate, what if the day was a total disaster? Thankfully, Alyssa calmed all fears almost as soon as she walked in the door. Her calm and positive demeanor makes her wonderful to work with and once she got started all my worries dissipated (almost!). For not having children of her own, it was remarkable how well Alyssa worked with our new baby boy. She was incredibly patient and gentle and I think he felt her warmth and thus cooperated wonderfully! Alyssa also worked great with our dog, who is still adjusting to becoming a big sister. ;) I would absolutely recommend Alyssa to ANYONE looking for both a personable and professional photographer with excellent skills. We really can't thank her enough! read more

Alyssa was a dream to work with. She was so professional and absolutely took all my random thoughts and ideas and pulled it together to a single vision. I felt like she listened to me and captured our relationship beautifully. She has such a talent at capturing great moments without you even noticing. If you are in the area, you need to go with Alyssa! read more

Candid Clicker did our engagement pictures and our wedding pictures. I am obsessed with ALL of them.... not only does Alyssa do a fantastic job, she is extremely professional and super sweet. We plan to use Alyssa for all of our future photo shoots. Highly recommended. read more

Alyssa at Candid Clicker is the best! We had our engagement photos with her in November. Before the shoot she was so helpful in discussing locations and sharing some really helpful tips. The actual shoot was a blast. It was a lot colder that day than we were hoping for but she kept her energy up and really helped us stay positive the whole time. She is a true pro but also has a great personality and kept us laughing the whole time. When we got the photos back after editing I couldn't have been happier. She nailed it. There are so many frame-worthy photos it's hard to even narrow them down. I cannot wait for Alyssa to shoot our wedding! read more

Alyssa took photos of me and my puppy last year, which I gave to my boyfriend for Valentines Day (he loved them!). The photos turned out adorable and Alyssa was extremely professional and friendly, putting me at ease in front of the camera. I would also add that her prices are very competitive and included a CD with all of the images. Would highly, highly recommend this photographer! read more

We have had Alyssa take photos three times for us! Our first was when we were pregnant with our second child. She came to the house and took photos of our daughter and my wife and I for well over 2 hours. She was professional, happy and very well natured considering our daughter at the time was 1 1/2 years old! She also did some pregnancy photos of my wife. We received all the photos in a very timely fashion and her pricing was very reasonable! We adored the photos and appreciated her ability to capture some photos we didn't think possible. The second time we had Alyssa over was for a family shoot when our son was 6 months old. We ventured down to the beach and again, Alyssa was professional and very accommodating working with us and a crazy toddler and infant . When we received the photos we were shocked at how good they were (considering our daughter was really not cooperating the day we took the photos). We have had several photos blown-up and have also had people remark at how professional they look. We also asked Alyssa to take photos at my sister-in-laws wedding. She was very creative in putting shots together and captured some eternal memories for us. We will continue to call on Alyssa to capture creative, precious memories for our family. read more

Alyssa has photographed my family 4 times now, and I have been thrilled with the pictures from every session. She is incredibly patient with babies/toddlers and is great at making them smile and laugh. We are so glad we found Candid Clicker!!! read more

Alyssa was such a joy! Before we even met I liked her. She's very responsive! Alyssa is such a talented photographer. She captured our family photos this summer and there are sooo many amazing pictures to choose from! Day of, she arrived early and she was fantastic with my young nieces and nephew. My family really appreciated her! Thank you!!! read more

Alyssa has been so great to work with! She did our maternity, newborn, and 6 month/family shoot and we couldn't be happier with all of the images. She is a fantastic photographer, so professional, creative and worked so well with both our baby and our pup! We couldn't ask for more. She even had great advice when I mentioned I was having a little trouble with my milk supply! Prices are competitive and well worth it for the memories! Can't wait to work with her again. read more

Alyssa from Candid Clicker is absolutely fabulous! She took our family photos and dealt two little boys who were less than cooperative. The pictures were so amazing! Alyssa has a gift for capturing personalities and making them shine! She had great suggestions for good spots in the city to use as backdrops. She chased the boys around and even let them throw leaves at her to capture a good leaf fight. The time from when the pictures were taken until I received the disk of images was super quick and the price was extremely competitive. I've paid a lot more for a lot less. Our family was lucky to spend a couple hours with Alyssa and we will use her for any photography needs and recommend her to everyone! read more

I'm not one to really do reviews on any business but I felt like this was a must. My family and I are from California, we took our family vacation on April 2015 to the Windy City of Chicago. We want to start a new family tradition of having a small family photo shoot capturing special moments at amazing cities. And that's where Alyssa comes in. From the first email we exchanged I knew I would be in perfect hands. Alyssa is amazing. Theirs really no words to describe how awesome and down to earth she is. She gave us a small tour of the city took our pictures and made it extra fun not just for us but for my 6 yr old son! I would hands down recommend Alyssa for your next photo shoot. We received a couple sneak peeks 2 days after our photoshoot and we were in awe I couldn't believe how amazing our pictures had turned out. I can honestly say that the highlight of our trip was our photoshoot and having Alyssa there to experience it! I know for a fact that Candid Clicker is the best photography business in Chicago!!!! =) read more

We had Alyssa take photos of our whole family when we went on vacation in Michigan. She was terrific! We did this as a present for my parent's wedding anniversary and she came up with some creative ways to incorporate some mementos from their wedding into the photos. We also had a lively 2.5 year old and continually spitting up 6 month old. She was able to capture some great shots of our toddler and her editing is amazing, as there was no spit up to be found on my son or husband's shirts (they were covered, by the way). I was extremely pleased with the photos and she is very reasonably priced, seeing as you get a CD of the images. Look no further for your next photographer! read more

Alyssa is the best! I can't believe I hadn't written my review about her work yet. My boyfriend (now husband) hired Alyssa to capture our engagement. He said she was incredibly helpful and easy to work with. The night we got engaged I thought we were going to dinner when in fact he had decided on a place for Alyssa to be candidly waiting to take photos of his proposal. We were near the Adler Planetarium when he got down on one knee and she captured every moment. After giving us our own time to celebrate she came up and was so nice and excited for us! She then took more photos for us and even asked if there was anywhere else we like to take pictures. We received the photos almost immediately. They were AMAZING!!! I couldn't believe how awesome these pictures turned out. We loved them so much we had to use them for our save the dates. We didn't even need to take separate engagement photos! Alyssa also took a couple pictures of the landscape before we got there that night and sent us those as well. We turned one of them into a beautiful 20x40 canvas that decorates our home. Thank you Alyssa for capturing one of the happiest moments in our life so perfectly! read more

Alyssa took photos of our daughter at 9 weeks old. The photos turned out amazingly. I was very impressed with Alyssa. She came to our house, which made it a comfortable setting for us and the baby. Alyssa was very patient with our daughter, allowing us time to feed, change and soothe her as needed. Alyssa brought many ideas and props with her. Alyssa thought of everything, she even brought a little heater and soothing sounds for the baby. Alyssa took photos of the baby alone and with my husband, baby and I together. All the photos turned out great. Plus, a few other photographers I spoke with said that 9 weeks is an awkward age to work with since she was older than a newborn and they suggested waiting until 6 months old. But I am so happy we found Alyssa to capture our baby's cuteness at this age. I loved that Alyssa sent us a flash drive with all the photos. That way we can print the photos, share with family and friends, etc, as many times as we want. I would highly recommend working with Alyssa, she took the time to get all the right shots. read more

Alyssa was such an absolute pleasure! She did our wedding photos last May. We live in VA and our wedding was in Saint Joseph, MI, so we were unable to meet with Alyssa in person, so she graciously did a skype call with us so we could meet her and see if she was a good fit. Right away I could tell she was going to be the perfect photographer. My husband and I are both camera shy and do not like doing cheesy poses for photos. Alyssa made us both feel so comfortable on the actual wedding day and made sure to capture the necessary posed photos for the day, but then took the time to let us have fun and just enjoy the day without the pressure of posing for too many photos. Her photo ideas were so much fun and came out looking amazing. She would even come and grab us throughout the night to get some awesome photos of us at sunset, which we would not have thought to do ourselves. I would recommend Alyssa in a heartbeat! She has such a fun and easy going personality and you can really tell she enjoys what she does and also takes the time to get to know the people she takes photos of. Thank you again Alyssa for being part of our special day and capturing it in the most beautiful way!!!!! read more